IISER Bhopal researcher proposes great chemical link

IISER Bhopal researcher has recently published a review of the biomolecular relationships among COVID-19, aging and diabetes.

IISER Bhopal researcher Dr. Amjad Husain along with researchers from University of Arizona of USA have presented that existing drugs used to treat diabetes, obesity and ageing can potentially be used to treat COVID-19.

In addition, there are similar naturally existing biomolecules that can be also explored in combination for the COVID treatment. Dr. Amjad Husain is the Chief Executive Officer at Innovation and Incubation Centre for Entrepreneurship (IICE) at IISER Bhopal.

The review which was co-authored by Dr. Udeep Chawla, Dr. Manoj Kumar Kashyap and Dr. Amjad Husain of IISER Bhopal was recently published in the journal ‘Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry’ and offers insight into future directions in COVID-19 therapeutics.

Dr. Amjad Husain of IISER Bhopal said with the nearly two year long COVID-19 pandemic continuing to ravage the world, we are beginning to slowly understand the virus and its functioning.

It is now known that the effects of the viral infection is severe on aging population and people with existing diabetic conditions. There are studies being conducted worldwide on the effects of aging and diabetes on the short- and long-term outcomes of the COVID-19 infection, said Dr. Amjad of IISER Bhopal.

The published review shows that at the molecular level, there are intersecting pathways that are common to diabetes, aging, and COVID-19. All three conditions are associated with oxidative stress and lowering of the immune response and complications arising from them lead to the onset of numerous other diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, eye diseases, neuropathy (nerve diseases), and nephropathy (kidney problems), says researcher from IISER Bhopal.

The researchers believe that an ideal therapeutic candidate for COVID-19 should be able to target the pathways that are common to diabetes, ageing and the SARS-CoV-2 infection, said Dr. Husain of IISER Bhopal.

Also read ‘Know about the top 20 Civil Engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu‘

There are classes of compounds such as polyphenols found in plant-based food – curcumin (found in turmeric), and resveratrol (found in grapes), have been shown to not only slow down the ageing process, but also possess anti-viral properties, said Dr. Husain of IISER Bhopal.

The researchers believe that an ideal therapeutic candidate for COVID-19 should be able to target the pathways that are common to diabetes, ageing and the SARS-CoV-2 infection, say sources from IISER Bhopal.

There are classes of compounds such as polyphenols found in plant-based food – curcumin (found in turmeric), and resveratrol (found in grapes), have been shown to not only slow down the ageing process, but also possess anti-viral properties, said Dr. Husain of IISER Bhopal.

The researchers also present evidence of some existing potential anti-aging drugs such as Rapamycin that can be explored for the COVID-19 treatment because of the common biochemical pathways associated with these diseases, say sources from IISER Bhopal.

Another such example is a drug Metformin , which is usually used to control blood sugar. The scientists have also performed computational studies to show that lipids present in cell membranes play an important role in coronavirus infectivity.

Natural compounds such as polyphenols may affect the binding of the virus to host receptors and the molecular interactions required for virus replication and release, thereby stopping the infection in its early stages.

There is an urgent need to shortlist effective therapeutics from the existing pool of potential compounds,” as the time taken to discover a new drug and its approval takes longer, said Dr. Husain from IISER Bhopal.

The scientists believe that natural compounds such as curcumin and resveratrol, among others, and existing drugs such as metformin and Rapamyci have potential to get tested extensively for the treatment of COVID-19 and post-coronavirus syndrome.

About IISER Bhopal

Established by the Ministry of Education (then Ministry of Human Resource & Development), Government of India, in 2008, IISER Bhopal is the youngest of the first five IISERs. In a decade, the Institute has received several distinctions, duly carving out its own position in the national and international arena.

With a vision to provide high quality education to the students and contribute to the society through its research, the institution is the first IISER to have been declared by the Ministry of Education for project competition.

The organization is continuously consolidating its position in the National land International rankings and has secured 40^th place in The National Institutional Ranking Framework, Ministry of Education, Government of India. Along with this, IISER Bhopal has gained rank 201 in the overall category of the QS Asia Ranking. The Institute has also been ranked 26 (National Rank, out of 63 in the 1000 Institutes) in the Times Higher Education 2021 Rankings.